


Don't Stop Beating

by MonarchButterfly



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, Sickness, broken ribs, cardiac arrest - Freeform, gabenath, post-felix, pre-loveater
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:53:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21566410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonarchButterfly/pseuds/MonarchButterfly
Summary: What happens when the use of her miraculous causes Nathalie to fall victim to cardiac arrest?(inspired by a lovely anon on my Tumblr)
Relationships: Gabriel X Nathalie, gabriel agreste x nathalie sancoeur
Comments: 22
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I was doing medical research in order to write this properly, if I get something wrong please inform me and provide cited evidence as I want this to be accurate.
> 
> Also! I'm moving this over here from Quotev. I am the original author for this, just moving it.

It had started with only some mild pain twenty minutes before. It hadn't seemed like anything to bad, so she ignored it as always and continued about her day. She had been briefing Adrien on his daily schedule when it hit her. There was a stabbing sensation in her chest, a sensation that made her lean on the table and catch her breath. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, and it took her a few moments to feel like she could really breathe again, but there remained an odd pressure in her head. She was woozy. She felt as if she were going to pass out.

"Nathalie, are you alright?" Adrien asked her for what felt like the millionth time. He stood and helped to balance her, make sure she could stand on her own two feet. 

"Yes Adrien, I'm fine," she said. Her voice was weaker than she wanted it to be, but she cast the boy a soft look in an attempt to reassure him. Still though, he looked unconvinced. 

"Maybe you should sit down." he guided her to a chair and Nathalie felt the world spinning, her chest still sharp with pain and her heart feeling far to fast. What she didn't know was that Adrien saw how pale she had become. She let out a gasp as another surge of sharp pain flitted through her chest. Adrien looked slightly panicked. 

"I'm going to go get Father" he stated, rushing to get his dad. 

Nathalie felt faint

\---

"Adrien, call for an ambulance," Gabriel said sternly once he saw her condition. As soon as he had entered the room he was immediately hit with a wave of guilt. He knew exactly what was about to happen. The same thing had happened with Emilie, only weeks before she had finally went limp. Adrien felt the adrenaline from his panic start to surge through his blood, but he complied and took out his phone. Gabriel sat beside Nathalie, not sure if he should ask what she was feeling or if she should let her rest. 

"Describe it," he said finally, deciding that him and the medics would work a little better if they actually knew her symptoms, otherwise they'd likely be left with a corpse. 

"It's exactly like hers..." Nathalie whispered, her voice barely a whisper. She wasn't going to deny that there was something wrong now. It's not like she wanted to die. Gabriel knew what she meant- the same symptoms Emilie had had, the same shortness of breath, chest pains- all the symptoms of cardiac arrest. She passed out. 

"Nathalie!" Gabriel declared, catching her as she fell over and checking for her pulse- but found nothing.

"Tell them to get here now!" Gabriel looked at his terrified son. He knew that he probably looked angry to him, but in reality, he was terrified. Just as terrified as he had been when it had happened to his wife- though thankful that it had motivated him to get CPR training. Adrien finished the call up quickly, and before they knew it, three medics were rushing into their home. Adrien rushed them into the dining room, Gabriel only backing off Nathalie once the first medic sat down to take over. The second looked at Gabriel.

"How long has she been like this?" 

"She fell unconscious right after we called," Gabriel said, not exactly sure how long ago it had been. Minutes felt like hours and seconds felt like minutes. Adrien piped up, saying it had only been a few minutes (four, to be exact) since he had noticed the time on his phone. 

Gabriel had already removed her blazer, but despite the thickness of her sweater he had opted to keep it on. His small attempt however to preserve her modesty, was faltered by the medic who cut it off to apply the defibrillator- everything underneath going with it. Gabriel pulled his son to his chest and held him tight, both as a means of comfort and an attempt to shield him from seeing the sight at hand. Adrien made no protest, hiding his face in his fathers chest as a few panicked tears slid down his face. Gabriel however, couldn't help but watch, terrified, mesmerized, and praying. He watched anxiously as the AED went off, sending electric shocks through the woman's body. Yet just as he was panicking, that she might not be resuscitated, thoughts of how he had killed her raced through his mind, her eyes opened, and she breathed, and coughed, and her heart beat again. The medics, after offering her a gown to cover herself, then took her with them to the hospital, Adrien riding with her, and Gabriel following close behind after packing her an overnight bag from her supplies in her guest room.


	2. Embarassment, the Hospital, and Broken Bones

When Nathalie came too she hadn't even realized where she was, or what was going on- let alone the fact that she needed covered or had passed out at all. When she was handed the gown, she had just seemed dazed and confused, and the lady medic simply tied it around her for her. 

It hurt when she was moved, the left side of her chest ached sharply. It was clear she was in a dazed state of mind, and she only truly became aware of her situation when she had been loaded into the vehicle, IV's loaded into her arms, and felt Adrien grasping her hand gently. 

"Is she going to be okay?" Adrien asked. He was the only one there- where was Gabriel? Why wouldn't he be with her too? If she wasn't able to sign off on anything, Adrien most certainly couldn't do it. She had written Gabriel down as her medical power of attorney once she had begun use of the miraculous. 

"I think so," said one of the medics, "But we still need to provide the proper post-care. It seems your mother was a victim of cardiac arrest. We just need to make sure there was no damage to her heart or lungs in the process and see if we can find the cause. So it doesn't happen again." 

Mother? A perfect example of why you don't run off of assumptions. Though the medic clearly simplified the issue for the boy. Adrien didn't bother to correct them though- but her chest still ached, and it was getting worse. Every time she took a breath, it was that same sharp pain.

"Adrien?" She murmured, looking up at him, seeming much more coherent. 

"Hey," he replied in a gentle voice, squeezing her hand a little, "Do you need something?"

"Where's your father?" Like that wouldn't confirm to them even more that she was Adrien's mom. 

"Only one person could ride with you, he decided he should pack some of your things and meet us at the hospital," Adrien replied. The lady medic shifted around in the vehicle to Nathalie's left side, where the pain was. 

"Tell me if this hurts," she said, and began slowly and gently prodding her chest area with her hands until she hit Nathalie's ribcage. She hissed through her teeth in pain as the same sharpness surged through her chest, and the intake of air didn't seem to help. 

"That's what I thought. It's not uncommon for people to get fractured ribs in the CPR process. We're going to have to get you some X-rays once we get to the hospital to see what damage was done."

"Great," Nathalie murmured with disdain. Not only was she being rushed to the hospital for cardiac arrest of all things, her ribs were broken, her makeup was likely messed up from the CPR, her best sweater was ruined and the EMT's had probably cut it and her bra off of her in front of Adrien. 

"So much for image," she thought, "This is so humiliating..."

\--- 

Gabriel arrived at the hospital only a few minutes after the ambulance. He had packed her a new sweater, her blazer and other clothing necessities as well as one's general hygiene products and a few things to keep her busy if necessary. He also took the time to pick her ruined clothes off the dining room floor and grab some thread, hoping to mend them tonight if he had the chance. 

He entered the waiting room quite awkwardly, glad to see that no news reporters had arrived yet. Word that Gabriel Agreste's star assistant had landed herself in the hospital was word that was sure to get around. Not that it was anyone else's business besides her family. He walked to the receptionist. 

"I'm here for a Nathalie Sancoeur," he stated, gripping the bag in his hand a little tighter. 

"Nathalie Sancoeur...," the receptionist repeated, "What's your relation?" 

"No relation. But I am her POA." 

"Name?" 

"Gabriel Agreste," he stated.

"Gabriel Agreste? Like the fashion designer?" the woman turned back around and pulled her glasses down the bridge of her nose ever so slightly as if she were questioning him. If she hadn't recognized his face, she clearly didn't keep up with the fashion industry. He just stared at her for a cold moment and raised an eyebrow- it wasn't her job to interrogate him. The woman sighed and finished checking the records. 

"She was just checked in to room 108 and sent for an X-ray. There's a map on the wall in the hall."

Gabriel thanked the woman and walked down the hall, assessed the map and made his way to the room. All the while, he kept looking at the walls of the hospital, taking in it's antiseptic-like scent and feeling almost nauseated. He hated hospitals- despised them, actually. He had only been hospitalized once or twice, but each time, as he recalled Emilie's description, was like pulling teeth. He hadn't felt the trips necessary, and while he was very into the idea of self-preservation, every time a doctor would go to put their hands on him he'd wince, and once even had to be held down. It had been quite humiliating for both him and his wife. But that wasn't his fault- it had almost hurt, he'd been touched so much that day. It had been overwhelming. 

He finally reached Nathalie's room and glanced in through the window. She seemed to have already been back from her X-ray and there was a doctor and nurse checking her vitals, and probably delivering her results. Adrien sat by her side- but when he attempted to go in a nearby nurse stopped him. 

"Sir, you can't go in there," she stated, stopping him in his tracks. 

"Why not?" he asked, not quite upset yet as she might have a legitimate reason, however her response was a little insulting. 

"Friends and family only, you can't just walk in a patient's room unauthorized." Gabriel gripped the bag in his hands a little tighter. Did she really think he didn't realize that? Why would he be trying to enter some random patient's room?

"Ma'am, as her boss I can assure you, I'm completely-" 

"It doesn't matter, she doesn't need more stress on her by her boss dropping in on her while she's sick..." 

Meanwhile, inside the room, Nathalie's heart monitor seemed to speed up. The steady beat got faster once she noticed Gabriel outside her door arguing with a nurse. 

"..but you should be healed within six weeks, they're not serious fractures. Your nurse will...Ms. Sancoeur is something wrong?" the doctor had continued, until he noticed the increased heart rate. Nathalie raised a hand to her forehead and sighed. 

"My boss is right outside the door arguing with a nurse," She replied, the movement hurting. 

"Would you like me to ask him to leave?" The doctor asked. 

"Actually I'd rather she let him in," she stated. The doctor nodded and went and opened the door. 

"Come on in Mr. Agreste, I apologize for the inconvenience." The nurse looked at the doctor a little bewildered, but Gabriel simply straightened his posture and walked in the room, deciding to brush off the incident. The doctor continued. 

"Your nurse will give you the treatment plan for your ribs. Meanwhile, I'm going to schedule you in for some bloodwork and possibly a stress test, if nothing else comes up," he emphasized the if, "I'll also write you a prescription for medication once you're out of here but for now it could prove dangerous since chest pain can be a sign of another attack. For now you can take a few minutes to relax and settle in. A nurse will be in shortly to get your bloodwork." Nathalie nodded and the doctor left. Gabriel sat down beside her in one of the chairs. 

"I brought you a bag," Gabriel said, holding it in his lap. 

"Thank you sir-" she said before going into a fit of painful coughs. She groaned and could almost feel tears try to well up in her eyes. It hurt. 

"Adrien, would you mind?" Gabriel glanced at his son, hoping he'd get the hint. He really needed to speak with Nathalie alone. 

"Oh...yeah sure. I'll just go see what they have in the vending machine..." Adrien replied, standing up and walking out. The vending machines were a whole floor down, so he should have plenty of time to say what he needed. He placed the bag on the floor beside her bed and grasped her hand in his, tight. 

"Nathalie, I'm so sorry-" he started. 

"No, Gabriel. Don't do that." She said softly. She rested back on the pillow provided to her, and still, despite her condition, looked at him with the soft, loving expression she always gave him when they were alone. 

"This is my fault. If I hadn't- oh, Nathalie.." He rested an elbow on the bed beside her and rubbed his face, almost as if he were trying to wipe all signs of emotion off. 

"It's alright, Gabriel. Really- you don't need to blame yourself. I'm willing to do whatever it takes." She had been tempted to throw in jab about how he had likely been the one to break her ribs, but thought better of it. She didn't want to make him feel even worse. Gabriel looked up at her for a moment. She really was a remarkable woman, he had to admit. And she didn't deserve to be here- her makeup was all smudged which he knew would bother her, and she was in pain. She had been the one to almost die and yet here she was trying to comfort him. Truly, he didn't deserve her. He reached down into her bag and pulled out the makeup wipes he'd grabbed from her dresser, pulling a couple from the container. 

"What are you doing?" She asked. 

"I can only imagine you'd feel better with no make-up than with it smudged like it is," Gabriel replied, standing and leaning over her a bit. He wasn't wrong. 

"Sir, I can-" Nathalie started, her heart rate picking up again as made apparent by the monitor. 

"Nathalie, you're in pain. You've helped me plenty of times over the years, now let me help you." Nathalie's heart calmed down a bit, and after a moment's hesitation, she complied, and closed her eyes.

Gabriel knew how to remove makeup just fine. He had taken some cosmetology classes alongside his college courses back in the day- so it wasn't unfamiliar turf. He gently began to wipe away at it, the messed up lipstick, and smudged mascara- really how she managed to seem so lovely even when presented in this way baffled him. Even Emilie would have looked slightly askew. 

"I want you to know, Nathalie, that even though you might not blame me, this is still partially my fault. I should never have let you use that miraculous. Both of us know the damage it can bring." 

"Sir, you really musn't beat yourself up about it. I want to use it, if it means you succeed." Gabriel finished wiping her face and looked down at her. She opened her eyes- and still, she was lovely. 

"That's not the point," he said sternly, sliding back down into his chair and tossing the wipes into the trash. She seemed remarkably calm now compared to earlier- or so said the monitor, "I understand that. That's why I'm partially to blame. If I didn't benefit from Mayura, this would never have happened." There was a slight pause in conversation. He may benefit from Mayura, but he needed Nathalie. 

"I don't know what I'd do without you." he said, placing his hand on hers again. They shared a fond look. Nathalie may have been hurting, but it mattered little to her. Gabriel was with her. Gabriel cared. Soon Adrien would be back, and though their moment may be interrupted, perhaps she could feel like she really had a family. She might have been in the hospital, but she felt ever so at home with him. With them.


	3. Overnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: If you're really squeamish when it comes to medical needles like me then I suggest breezing over the next couple paragraphs. I'll make a note where the scene ends. 

Nathalie went white as the nurse came towards her with the needle. The woman hesitated. 

"Ms. Sancoeur, are you alright?" she feared her patient might pass out again. Nathalie took a deep breath. 

"I'll....I'll be alright," She murmured. She had sat up in the bed when the nurse came in- Gabriel was in one of the guest chairs by her bed trying to sew her sweater back together, Adrien sound asleep beside him, "I'm just a little squeamish when it comes to needles." 

"Perhaps you should lie back down then," the nurse replied. She helped her to comfortably lie back down, not without the hesitation from the pain in her ribs, "Now I have to do this. So try and distract your mind, mkay?" she spoke sweetly. If it hadn't been for her need to focus on what she was doing she would have spoken to Nathalie more to keep her mind off the task.

She pierced her skin, and while Nathalie didn't feel much of anything, she was still overwhelmingly aware of what was happening in her arm. She could swear her arm felt like it was slowly shriveling up, though she knew it was absurd. Still, her muscles clenched, her heart sped up and an uncomfortable look grew on her face. Gabriel glanced over and noticed. Perhaps she needed a distraction? He held the sweater up in front of him. 

"They didn't do a very good job cutting this." He stated flatly. Nathalie opened an eye and looked over at him. 

"What?"

"Your sweater. I'm trying to fix it, but the cut is really uneven. It was one of your best- if I can't make it look nice again how would you feel about turning it into a pillow?" The material was nice and soft. He supposed he could turn it into a nice one. The cut wasn't actually that bad- however it was becoming progressively more apparent that it would never be the same no matter how he tried to fix it. 

"I suppose that would be nice," Nathalie stated, caught a little off guard but appreciating the distraction. His voice helped to calm her. Her heart monitor stopped beating so quickly. 

"I'll reimburse you for the loss," He said, folding the sweater back up and putting it away, "I'd say I owe you that much at least." 

"I appreciate that. Thank you." His plan had worked. 

"All done," the nurse said once she's finished up and placed a bandage on her arm, "I'll just go submit these for testing." She took the two vials with her and left.

Nathalie heaved a heavy sigh and moved her hand to touch where the needle had been. She rubbed the area harder than she should, but she had to get the feeling of the puncture out of there. She took a few calming breaths that felt like knives just to stabilize herself, then glanced over to Gabriel. Had he been trying to distract her? 

**no more needles**

She really didn't deserve him. 

Nathalie really didn't get much sleep throughout the night. She had been put at the top of the list for certain tests and scans- and her nurse kept checking in periodically to make sure she wasn't about to have episode. She was becoming quite exhausted. If it hadn't been for Gabriel and Adrien's concern she might have decided to check herself out hours ago- but she knew that would be irresponsible. 

Gabriel sat passed out in the chair beside her, Adrien fighting sleep, as the doctor spoke.

"Luckily it doesn't seem like you've suffered any further damage. All your organs are healthy, there's no sign of a repeat. At this point we can't really do much else besides give you pain meds and discharge you, but we'd still like for you to stay the rest of the night if only for surveillance." It was 1 a.m. now. Adrien should be asleep. 

"Yes, Dr. Sho. Thank you very much." Nathalie replied. The doctor nodded and went to step out of the room. 

"So that's your boss, huh?" he said, hesitating before he left. 

"Yes..." Nathalie replied. She was a little taken aback as it was a turn on topic, but it didn't seem like an intrusive question. 

"Do you work close?" he asked. 

"What does it matter?"

"It's just strange. We've never had a boss stick so closely with their sick employee. Even if they were on good terms." He said before stepping out. This gave Nathalie a strange feeling in her stomach. It wasn't all that bad either. But Gabriel was a rather unconventional boss anyway- though, she had to admit they were much closer to each other than maybe they should.

"Nathalie?" Adrien mumbled from her left, "Does that mean you're gonna be alright?"

Nathalie smiled at him, "Yes, Adrien. I'll be alright."

"Good," Adrien yawned, "We already lost mom. I don't know what we'd do if we lost you too." 

This statement led to another, slightly sharp pain to pang through her, but not in the same way her broken ribs felt. This was more emotional. She took his hand. 

"Don't worry Adrien. I'm not going anywhere."

This made the boy smile. He would have offered her a hug, but he became fearful of hurting her sensitive torso. So instead he opted for something he wouldn't have done in any other circumstance- something rather unprofessional that he would normally fear would result in awkward ridicule, as it was to intimate a moment to be shared between an employer's son and his assistant. Something about the way she kept looking at him though, it gave him flashbacks to his mother and reminded him of how much he missed her, so he was sure it'd be alright. He kissed her cheek- which she certainly hadn't expected. Affection of any kind was just something she wasn't used to. 

"Thank you Nat," Adrien said, using the same nickname he'd used on her back when he was too little to pronounce her real name.

The boy fell asleep in his chair shortly after. Nathalie watched the two men sleep for a few minutes, contemplating her position. 

She loved them both more than life itself. She may be in pain at the moment, but if it meant these two could finally have their wife and mother back, it'd be worth it. 

She fell asleep with a smile on her face, knowing how far she was willing to go for these two men. 

She'd give her very life.


	4. Confiding in a Kwami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel contemplates his feelings.

Nathalie had finally been let out of the hospital that morning. They hadn't found anything else wrong with her, nor further damage outside of the effects of CPR. For once Gabriel actually postponed his own work to wait on his assistant. He even let her stay in the guest bedroom near his own, but he was considering moving her to his so he could keep a constant eye on her. For the most part, he wouldn't even let her get out of bed unless it was for the bathroom. 

Adrien made it back to school with dark circles under his eyes. He may have slept but it wasn't the best sleep he could have had- and of course it'd bring up questions. Eventually, the rumours would start. He just hoped the press wouldn't try to pry. 

He held the peacock miraculous in his hand. Nathalie slept for now, so he decided to leave and catch up on some of the work he'd missed- but something kept playing on his mind. 

He'd almost lost her. Of course it would hurt to lose her, she was his best friend and he wasn't afraid to admit that. If she wasn't, he never would have entrusted her with the knowledge of what he was doing. She certainly meant a lot to him. But the way he had felt when she hit the ground...

"Master?" Nooroo poked his head out of his hiding place. 

"Quiet Nooroo, I'm busy." Gabriel said simply, zooming in on one of his designs. Nooroo didn't listen, and instead flew out in front of his face. 

"Master, is something bothering you?" 

"What do you think? Nathalie just got out of the hospital. Naturally that'd shake anyone up." 

"She's alright now though, just healing. There's no need to worry." Nooroo said. Normally the timid little kwami would have stopped talking when told, but the fact that he was still talking at all told Gabriel there was something on his mind. Unless he threatened him he would probably keep pushing. 

"Spit it out Nooroo. There's no need to beat around the bush." 

"It's just that I think you may need to talk about your feelings for Ms. Sancoeur, Master..."

"What makes you think that?" There was an edge coming to his voice. 

"Well just-" 

"Are you trying to imply something?" He spoke sternly. 

"...No, Master..." Nooroo sunk away. Gabriel went back to his designs with an almost smug expression. No mere kwami was going to tell him how he felt, it didn't matter if they could sense emotions. Though Nooroo might have a point...he needed to put himself in check. Especially with Adrien already suspecting their relationship going beyond professional levels. 

\---

Two days passed. Nathalie was already improving but still, Gabriel wanted to keep a closer eye on her. Finally he decided to have her move to his room, for absolutely no other reason, he told himself, than to keep a close eye on her in case she for some reason had another episode. But something he refused to acknowledge nagged at the back of his mind telling him it'd be nice to have someone to sleep beside. Nooroo fluttered around uncomfortably as he prepared his bed and laid some of her necessities on the night-stand. 

He had had time to think about what Nooroo had 'failed' to imply, and even what Adrien had said a few days ago about him and Nathalie. He realized something as well- it wasn't the idea of being with Nathalie that had upset him. As a matter of fact, the idea seemed....nice. Rather, it was the idea of moving on, when he was so close to reviving his wife. The fact that Emilie was right there was enough to prevent him from even considering moving on. He had made a promise. Moving on wasn't an option. 

"Nooroo?" Gabriel spoke. 

"Um...yes, Master?"

"I'm...sorry I was harsh with you the other day," he said monotonously, "It's simply that the idea of moving on appalls me while Emilie is still in this house."

'I understand, Master."

"Do you..." he stood up straight, his back to Nooroo, "Do you really believe my feelings toward Nathalie are..." he couldn't bring himself to say it. 

"My powers don't lie, Master." was all Nooroo said. Gabriel simply nodded, and went to fetch her. He certainly had a lot to think about.


	5. Losing Certainties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a spoon full of fluff helps the angst go down :D
> 
> Gabriel brushes Nathalie's hair and they discuss the peacock miraculous
> 
> PS: If you notice any inconsistencies or strange behavior from the characters in either this or the last chapter, let me know please. I finished writing them a while after having put the fic down for a while and I'd rather things stay consistent.

Gabriel woke up a few days after. It had been almost a week since they had been at the hospital, and while Nathalie was feeling better, he could still see her wince when she would cough. 

He had locked the peacock miraculous back up in the safe. He hadn't spoken to her about it yet, but he didn't want her using it again. She was going through the same stages as Emilie, if she used it much more it wouldn't be long until she suffered the same fate and she was already weak enough. If she ever did have to use it again, he was going to wait until her ribs were fully healed at least.

She lay beside him, still fast asleep and a melted ice pack lying on her abdomen. The doctor said ice would help. She didn't snore, but he could sometimes hear her wince when particular breaths moved her torso to much and caused a wave of sharp pain. He had hardly touched her at all since moving her to his room, and often slept with his back to her- especially since he knew how clingy he could get with someone else sleeping by him. He didn't want to accidentally hurt her.

He was unsure of what he wanted now anyway. Oh yes, he wanted Emilie back desperately. He wanted to fix his mistakes, keep his promise. But that thing that had nagged at him had been brought to light. Now not only Adrien, but his own kwami, who could sense emotions, was telling him that perhaps his heart should look elsewhere. 

The thought had certainly angered him at first, but that anger had dissipated to first denial, then frustration, annoyance, and finally uncertainty. All in the course of a few days. He realized that, he would not be bad off, to win over a woman like Nathalie. If he were going to move on, she would certainly be the one he wanted. But he also knew that once he made his wish, fixed his mistakes and changed the course of time itself that these thoughts would never even have existed, so even if he ended up actually falling in love with her he could still keep pushing. 

But Emilie, as much as he denied it, was actually gone. It didn't matter how many times he referred to it as sleeping. It didn't matter how many times he told himself she'd wake up, and denied her real situation. It just pained him to say she was dead, especially when he could bring her back. If you can resurrect the dead, then death would really be nothing more than sleep anyway, wouldn't it? 

So there remained his dilemma. 

Adrien had given him his blessing, Nooroo confirmed that perhaps he DID have some blossoming feelings he was trying to repress. So should he move on from his wife when he could bring her back? Or should he continue repressing everything, refuse to feed whatever feelings seemed to be blooming and continue fighting for her?

Nathalie stirred, and Gabriel sat up and stretched. When she opened her eyes, she still had to take some time to process that not only was she in Gabriel's room, but he was adamant on having her stay in his bed. It was a childish thought, she knew, to feel so...honoured, was it? To be allowed to stay there. But still, every time she woke up beside him it always made her feel better. It was like looking through a window at what could have been. 

She sat up with a wince. The pain had certainly gotten a better over the past few days and painkillers did their job nicely, but sometimes pain still got through. Her immune system was practically shot too from her miraculous, so it would likely take her the full six weeks to be fully healed. However, she hoped to be working again within the next couple. 

"Are you alright?" Gabriel asked. 

"Yes, of course," Nathalie replied, yawning. Gabriel frowned. 

"Have you been brushing your hair?" he asked. She got a confused expression on her face- yes, she had been. As best as she could, anyway. But keeping her arms raised made her ribs ache. 

"As best as I can," she said. Gabriel himself still had his bedhead, and between her and herself, she preferred it to his normal hair style. Gabriel just nodded and grabbed a brush. He hadn't even considered that it might be painful for her to raise her arms for very long. If that were the case, he may need to find a way to help her wash it too.

"Scoot up," he said, moving to the other side of the bed. He sat behind her and started running the brush through. 

"I couldn't help but notice it seemed to be getting more knotted. You can ask me for help when you need it, you know?" he said. Her hair was soft, and as he brushed, he couldn't help but run a few strands through his fingers. 

"You're already doing to much. I didn't want to bother you," was her reply.

"Nonsense," Gabriel said, "With all you've sacrificed, I could never do to much for you." 

Nathalie was touched, and she took a moment to relish the feeling. That included the feeling of him gently running the brush through her hair, the warmth that formed in her stomach with something as simple as his hand grazing her ear, all of it. If it wasn't for the fact that she knew Gabriel Agreste himself, she would swear she was the most touch-starved person she knew. 

He continued to run the brush through her hair as he spoke. 

"I went ahead and confirmed your follow up appointment with Dr. Sho in a couple of weeks. He said he wanted to make sure your ribs were healing properly." he said. 

"Oh- thank you."

"And another thing too, Nathalie..." he said. His brushing slowed down. She turned her head a little. 

"Yes? What is it?"

"I've taken the liberty of locking the peacock miraculous up again. I don't want you using it anymore- and this time, I'm serious." 

"It's alright, Gabriel, really, I want-" 

"I know, Nathalie. I know. You've helped me quite a lot already, and I never would have gotten this far without you. You have no idea how grateful I am, but..."

Nathalie felt her heart sink, "It wasn't enough" she muttered. She didn't even mean to say it out loud, it was just the thought that ran through her head. She regretted the statement as soon as she said it, and Gabriel felt his stomach twist. 

"Not enough? No no, Nathalie..." he put the brush down and adjusted his position so he could look at her properly, "That was never what I was going to say- I just meant that I don't want to lose you," He touched her hand, "I know I've said before that I don't want you using that miraculous, and that there would be no more Mayura, and then went back on it later, but there's no denying that you're far to precious to risk. Please, Nathalie," he gripped her hand a little tighter, "Don't use it again. Don't let me ask you to use it again. I know I will, and I need you to say no." 

Nathalie wasn't quite sure what she felt when he said that. Was it...hurt? No? Then why did she feel like crying?  
She couldn't help but feel like SHE had put him in this position- and of course she knew she was essential for his life to run smoothly but...precious? Really?

She couldn't possibly be more precious than Emilie. Why could he not just let her do what she needed to? Even if she went the same way as Emilie, there were other people out there that would make just as good of an assistant as her given the proper training. And Adrien would be okay so long as he got his mother in the end. Of course, she would try to do as he asked but, she had no clue if she could. Her desire to make him happy always surpassed everything, even if it was something he asked her to do.

She felt confused. 

She hadn't even noticed that she had started shedding tears. 

\---

Well so much for trying not to hurt her. 

He really hadn't expected for her to actually start to cry. It was hard for him to remember if he had ever seen her weep before.

"Oh, Nathalie," he said softly. He pulled her towards him and let her head rest on his shoulder as he wiped away one of the tears. Never had he suspected that expressing that he cared about her would upset her! She had to have already known that, but what else could it possibly be?

"I'm sorry..."

"No, no, it's alright....it's not your fault," she managed to say. 

He looked down at her with a sad expression and heaved a sigh. 

He wasn't exactly certain what he needed to do, and for now, he decided to continue life as he had grown accustomed. But he couldn't deny now, that he definitely felt something a little more for her.


End file.
